


It didn't cost an Arm and a Leg (just the leg)

by chat_rouge



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Amputation, Angst, F/F, Kara is too busy dying to care, Lena Luthor Knows Kara Danvers Is Supergirl, Lena and Alex worry, pain?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-13 18:21:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20586959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chat_rouge/pseuds/chat_rouge
Summary: Kara loses her leg while venting to an Agent about her lost friendship with Lena, while Lena and Alex worry outside without a clue as too what's going on.Update this work is now going to have three (maybe four chapters) and I noticed I wrote the title wrong funny story... hahahah "I" was supposed to be "It"





	1. Careful or you might lose an eye?

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for people waiting on Pain is our only friend. I will get to it. Life got to me, and I realized I didn't have the chapter outlined and I couldn't remember what happened next in Supergirl and I haven't been in the mood to rewatch the episode. I'll get to it. I promise. Just let me figure where I'm going with the story.
> 
> Based on the tags you probably noticed, fair warning, there is going to be an amputation here. All mistakes are my own and I didn't proofread. Toodles!

Judging by how weak she felt and how much pain she was in, she’d blown her powers covering the bomb. At least the city, if not the state, was saved, her sister was going to be fine, Lena definitely made it out of the building by now.

Good thing because the building wasn’t structurally sound.

Good thing because her leg was trapped beneath the rubble of falling ceiling or equipment or Rao knows what, because she was too scared to look, lying with her arm over her eyes.

She most definitely couldn’t save anyone right now, not even herself.

“Damn it all to hell,” it was the Agent who saved her life, the big burly man whose name she doesn’t know, but he pushed her out of the way of the falling rubble when he realized she was all too human as she stood unsteadily to her feet seconds before the area started collapsing around them.

“Goddammit,” followed by a clang and more cursing under his breathe.

“You need to go and save yourself,” she finally said with a shaky voice, “you can’t move whatever is on my leg and this place is falling apart.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate his efforts, but she was very cold and knew he couldn’t pick up a ton of metal and being very cold was a bad sign.

“I’m not leaving you here. I’m a divorced dad,” she heard him rifling through a bag, “who will lose all respect from his kids,” she heard the sound of a blade being checked, “not to mention Agent Danvers would kill me, if I let Supergirl die here. So tell me, on a scale from one to ten, how attached are you to your leg.”

Kara’s arm flew off her eyes and she turned her head to look at him. All six feet, smiling like a maniac, man looking like a bear holding a knife over a flame as pieces of ceiling fall around him.

Based on the quick glance she took earlier, there honestly didn’t seem to be so much leg as flesh to cut off. But she couldn’t dwell on that. So it didn’t matter. She couldn’t think.

He needed to go. Nothing mattered. He needed to survive. Legs were important. He should go. She needed to save him. So he needed to leave. To save him she needed both legs.

“Pretty attached, like a solid 8, I’m so attached it’s actually attached to me,” her breathing was starting to speed up, her fingers were clawing at the floor around her, her head rolled back to stare at the ceiling. She was scared and she couldn’t slow down her breathes, what was she supposed to focus on? There was nothing to focus on. “I love my leg, I go where it goes, you aren’t cutting it off, that’s an order I’m a higher rank as Supergirl and everything, I order you to leave me here, and tell my sister and Lena I love her and I’m sorry and….”

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHAAAAHHHHHHH HUUUHHUUHHUUHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhh huhuhuuuuuuuh

“Since your human as the rest of us, I outrank you now,” the world was both too bright and too dark, the voice talking to her sounded strained, “I don’t make the rules.”

“but you jus made that one?” it hurts, something hurts, “some rules hurt.”

“Yeah? You’re doing great,”

Doing great at what? Cold so cold, “cold as ice, icy just like Lena’s been to me.”

Lena oh god, she was dying and Lena was still angry at her. What was the saying? Something about settling fights before bed. She couldn’t remember at the moment but the fight hasn’t been settled and she’s going to sleep.

It hurts so much.

She’s gonna vomit, or did she already? Kara doesn’t know. The world was so bright, too bright.

She just needs to sleep it off.

“Lena has been cold? Tell me about that, keep talking, tell me why Lena has been cold.”

Cause, cau, “se I lie bout’ my ‘denity, so she angry, bu I miss her so much,” the world was losing it’s brightness, “I miss nappin with her, I miss naps, so sleepy, jus gonna sleep.”

She felt something touch her face.

“No, no, no, no, you gotta stay with me, those are orders, keep talking to me about Lena.”

“Lena?” she suddenly felt excited and let her head roll to the side, “She’s the best, she’s the nicest, and gives the best hugs, and buys the food, and takes the best nappppps”

“HEYYYY” she heard a voice yelling distantly, but the darkness was so comfortable and nice and warm.

* * *

“Agent Danvers,” Lena nodded to the women as she came up to her. While their relationship is slightly strained at the moment (mostly due to the proximity to Supergirl, they're usually fine otherwise), she still preferred Alex to give her a quick medical checkup while she sat in the Ambulance and waited.

Also Alex was probably the first to receive any news about Supergirl and Lena rather be in the know, angry at Kara or not.

Alex looked her over and cocked her head. So she didn’t look the greatest, wrapped in a blanket with a swelling cheek, and what was possibly a sprained ankle.

But she stopped two out of the three bombs, and Supergirl, Kara, put her into some other agents arms before she could sustain anymore damage.

She wasn’t hurt that Kara didn’t fly her out.

There was a third bomb Supergirl had to worry about.

It wasn’t as if she was scared out of her mind and needed Kara’s warm hugs and whispers of safety.

“How did you manage to get this much damage shutting down a computer?” Alex sighed as she started to inspect her ankle.

“There was some unexpected trouble,” She hissed when Alex poked at swollen bit, “Although you already know that Agent Danvers, considering Supergirl saved me.”

Alex tensed for a moment.

“Actually I don’t, we’ve lost Supergirl’s comms about an hour ago.”

And suddenly Lena noticed that Alex was trembling a little bit. Suddenly it occurred to her, that Supergirl would usually be flying people to safety. Yet there hadn’t been any red-blue blurs across the sky.

Suddenly she realized she might not be the only one in need of comfort at the moment.

And that scared her.

“Are there Agent’s inside that know what’s going on? Surely someone who left the building has a status update.” Lena managed to ask. Although the way Alex was looking at her she knows what Lena was really asking.

“All we know is that after Supergirl stabilized the bomb, 9 out of the twelve agents inside made it out, including an unconscious agent she was last seen helping,” there was commotion from the building and Alex put her hand up to her looking serious for a moment.

Lena held her breathe.

“Ten out of the twelve made it out, Agent Richardson is dead, and only Supergirl and Agent Bernard are left in the building,” the news was… something. It did nothing to relieve Lena and by the look on her face and the strain on her voice it wasn’t helping Alex who dutifully resumed wrapping Lena’s foot.

Lena bit her bottom lip, then opened her mouth to speak but Alex had started again.

“We sent drones inside twenty minutes ago, we can only wait now, we can’t send any people in, it would be too dangerous for anyone to go in,” Alex finished sounding resigned and looked up to Lena as though the world was on her shoulders.

“There isn’t any Kryptonite,” Lena started slowly and shook her head for confirmation, so she continued more sure of herself, “well then she’s Supergirl, the girl of steel, she’ll be fine. She’s invincible otherwise.”

Alex closed her eyes and looked physically pained.

Dread pooled in Lena’s stomach.

“That’s not quite,” Alex took a deep breath, “There are other cases and situations where she might vulnerable, overshooting herself for example.”

Her fist clenched. Her nails dug into her palms. She bit her bottom lip so hard she tasted blood.

Kara was supposed to be invincible. She wanted to yell at Alex. She wanted to scream at Kara.

Lena took a breathe, it’s not their fault she didn’t think to ask. She should have asked.

Lena had a tentative friendship with Alex.

At first she was angry at Alex as well as Kara. Then she realized it wasn’t Alex’s secret to tell. Alex apologized, but so did Kara and at the moment their friendship was on hold, so she was afraid her friendship with Alex would be too.

After being dragged out to the bar on for the third time when Alex needed a drinking buddy after they got stuck, she realized they were still friends; the conversations they had in office were friendly. She will never achieve the intimacy and closeness she had with Kara, but she didn’t need that from Alex.

They joked together, whined together, and wined together. It was enough, sure she missed being held and cuddling. Also someone who can always read her moods and knew everything she liked. Someone who she knew would never judge her, and was willing to just be with her. But she missed Kara.

They never spoke about Kara. She never asked. Alex never told her. Alex was Kara sister, Lena was still angry. Alex wanted to defend her, but Lena was entitled to her emotions. So Kara only came up from a clinical DEO standpoint as Supergirl.

Lena has never regretted anything more in her life.

Kara was supposed to be invincible.

It was the only true gain Lena got from the reveal. At least Kara was invincible.

Her hands were shaking and Alex was gripping them. She was fine, Lena was fine, Alex was fine, Kara was fine.

So that’s what she told Alex.

“Kara is fine.”

They looked at each other for a moment. Alex gave her a small smile and looked back down at her hands.

“Yeah, I’m sorry, I’m sorry for working you up, I’m just, you’re right,” Alex chuckled, “Kara is probably fine, I’m going to kill her for worrying me so much.”

Lena’s heart clenched at the sight of Alex so distraught and broken, she wanted to pull Alex into a hug and tell her she understood how worrying Kara could be. She wanted Kara to pull them into a hug and tell them never be sorry, but they’re being silly.

Instead she squeezed Alex’s hands tighter.

“Don’t be sorry, you’re just worried. I’m worried too. But she’s Supergirl and she’s going to be…”

There was yelling at suddenly she saw what looked like a red cloak. Alex followed her gaze.

The Director of the DEO and the CEO of L-Corp scrambled towards the building tripping over themselves, Kara was out, she was ok.

There was more yelling around them, instructions were screamed out in frantic tones, but Lena can only focus on the red cape and golden hair. Slowly Lena realized that Kara’s head was lolled to the side and based on the position Lena realized she was being carried. She was passed out, but that’s ok, there doesn’t seem to be a head injury and that’s crucial, everything else can be handled.

They wouldn’t carry out a dead body from a collapsing building.

She’s fine.

She realized the cape dripping red and Lena’s blood ran cold.


	2. Waiting for news

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena and Alex wait outside the ER for news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess this isn't going to be a one-shot. Sorry Kara does not wake up in this chapter hence the third chapter coming because it's nonsensical to end it at Lena and Alex waiting.

Eight hours and 23 minutes of surgery.

Kara was not fine, not ok, not even in one piece. Oh god, there was a piece of her left in the building. Oh god, the thought made Lena feel like vomiting.

The initial cuts were made right above the knee, but the doctor told them due to infection and improper technique they were forced to cut an inch and a half higher on the femur.

There were third degree burns on her neck and arms, fourth degree on her torso and legs but, they believe while there may be scarring from the fourth degree burns, the rest will heal completely with proper sunlight.

At least that’s what she thought they were saying.

Although this information was meant to be directed at Alex, as Alex was her relative and currently in charge of care and the DEO, but Alex was also completely out of it.

Lena didn’t blame her. In fact she was impressed with how well she pulled herself together upon seeing Kara… Lena was impressed how quickly she took control of the situation, got Kara into an ambulance with their best medical team, and even managed to pull the frozen Lena along.

Surgery though, was long, long enough for Alex to think, for the urgency of the moment to pass, for her to fall apart on the cool tile of the DEO and for Lena to pull herself back together as she sat on the uncomfortable chairs and stared at the ER doors.

So Lena found the control that Alex lost and called Eliza in that time to explain the situation and promise updates. To call CatCo and arrange time off for Kara. To ask the nurses keeping track of progress for updates. And now apparently to listen and understand the medical situation.

She was trying to listen to doctor. Someone had to. She had hoped that Alex would pull herself back together by now because it was hard. They were talking about complications, about infections and medications, and she couldn’t process it right now to understand. At least Alex had medical training.

The most she dabbled in medicine was nanobots for cancer and she was the engineer.

Focus, Lena was a genius, she could understand. If she just wasn’t so tired and scared. She just wanted to know whether Kara is going to be ok but no one would give her a straight answer.

So she stared at the doctor without quite seeing her. Trying to understand what she was saying, while thinking about the broke, bloody, incomplete body of her friend, her best friend whom she abandoned, from the ambulance.

Her body was cold for the first time Lena could ever remember. Also still, just laying there only jostled by bumps on the road or movements made by the other’s panicking around her.

She really hoped Kara was warmer now.

At least the doctor was speaking slowly, for Alex’s sake. Alex who was looking down face in hands letting Lena gently rub her back.

Dr. Miller, that was her name, sighed,

“She is no longer in critical condition, we are moving her to a sun room where we will keep an eye on her,” Alex finally looked up with some hope in her eyes, “but we don’t want either of you in the room with her yet, for your safety as much as her own.”

The hope was immediately dashed.

“DON’T YOU,” Alex stood up screaming. Lena grit her teeth and tugged Alex’s shirt.

But suddenly Lena felt a hand on her shoulder and a softer and gentler voice come from behind her.

“Thank you Doctor. Can you please explain?” Eliza held her grip on both girls while looking at Dr.Miller.

Lena has never been so grateful for someone’s presence in her life.

That was a lie.

There were moments where Kara both as Danvers and Supergirl saved her physically and emotionally and each time she was more grateful.

But she was ready to thank god for Eliza and she was an Atheist.

Eliza was a biologist who specialized in Aliens, was capable of reigning Alex in, and gave warm hugs. Eliza would be strong for them because Lena was rapidly falling back apart and was ready to let Alex yell because Lena wanted to yell even though she knew it wouldn’t help the situation.

Because Eliza’s hand was the only thing keeping her at this moment from strangling the Doctor and order her to show them Kara and tell them that Kara is going to be ok.

“Yes, the amount of sunlight in the room will create damaging amounts of UV rays for a human. There is also the fact the Director Danvers and Ms. Luthor are,” she eyed them, “not exactly sterile and Supergirl’s immune system is already compromised.”

“Besides,” she continued as though she didn’t insult them and brush their worries off for some dirt, “while you may not care at the moment, but we wanted Supergirl to have maximum exposure for the speediest recovery and she may not be happy to be seen in such a position even by family.”

In Lena’s defense she was beyond tired, and scared out of her mind. In Lena’s defense Alex was also obviously confused for a few seconds.

“Oh yes, she’s quite modest and would be embarrassed to no end if even Alex saw her nude,” Eliza gracefully provided.

Jesus Christ they had Kara sunbathing naked.

Lena choked and Alex sputtered.

“She’s going to be in room 53A for recovery. While you are free to wait outside the door, the blinds will be closed and no one will be let in for at least four hours,” with that Dr. Miller turned away.

Wait, that wasn’t what she needed to hear though.

Lena stood up and stumbled forward unsteady on her feet, pain shooting up her ankle.

“I’m sorry Dr. Miller, you didn’t say, will Kara be ok?” Lena politely yelled after her.

The doctor stopped and turned around with a polite smile both hands behind her back.

“As I mentioned before Ms. Luthor, she’s no longer in Critical Condition.”

Lena was going to scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW I saw more amputated limbs than I needed to see and learned more about amputations and emergency amputations than I ever needed to know, but I still couldn't figure out what the hospital procedure for after field amputations not done by professionals and how long the surgery might be. 
> 
> I also learned I need to edit the first chapter and change the knife to a hacksaw and make up a story why he had a hacksaw laying around because a knife apparently is unrealistic. Also my leg is experiencing this phantom pain now. I hope you guys were happy because until I saw the overwhelming amount of comments I was going to leave it as a oneshot. 
> 
> Also she has burns from the bomb, yes she was supergirl when the bomb went off but she lost her powers immediately afterwards, she would still be covering metal and material from the bomb which was probably really hot.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly was not expecting it to go on this long and I wanted to fit it all into this chapter, then maybe add another one for a few months later thing (though I hate those) but I can't write anymore because I have to go to work tomorrow and obviously don't know how to get to a point concisely. My bad guys. Hope your still enjoying it.

Kara was confused. It occurred to her she just woke up, but did she fall asleep? She wasn’t sure. There were bright sunlamps above her and she let her head roll to the side and saw plastic railings, white sheets, and a monitor.

There was beeping. She licked her lips and squinted at the sunlamps. She was parched.

“How do you feel?”

She flexed her fingers and felt the rough material of the blanket. It was a good question.

“Confused, also thirsty I’m a little woozy and slow. I’m alert but mostly confused,” was about as much order as she was capable of getting her thoughts in.

Finally she looked over and saw a shortish man wearing scrubs with a kind expression, he wasn’t focused on her but adjusting some bag hanging. There was a tube connected to the bag and her eyes followed the tube down to her hand where it was connected to arm via butterfly needle.

She suddenly realized how uncomfortable her arm was.

“The thing, the needle, on my arm, it’s making it hurt,” she told the nurse, probably a nurse, while wiggling her arm for emphasis. Although Kara had severely underestimated the strength she had and the strength she needed resulting in a light flop.

Kara frowned.

“Sorry hon, that needs to stay in, otherwise it’s going to hurt a lot more everywhere else, do you mind if a take a look at your stomach?” He spoke kindly and gently and Kara wasn’t focused enough to be angry or argue so she made a motion with her shoulders meant to be a shrug as he started lifting the blankets.

Normally she would be uncomfortable with this, that’s what she gets for…

Closing her eyes she tried to remember where was she? The sunlamps and grey walls gave away the DEO, but how did she get in the med bay.

Rao her leg.

Her leg.

It was the only right leg she had.

She started pushing herself up to see what happened to her leg, but the nurse pushed her back down.

“You don’t understand my leg,” she was frantic she needed to know, she needed this to be a nightmare, she clutched at the man’s uniform and peripherally she could hear loud beeping coming from machines, “What happened to my leg.”

He was looking at her and gently pushing her down while rubbing her shoulders, his expression was stern.

“You need to calm down for me.”

“Are both my legs there?”

“Supergirl, I’m telling you that you need to calm down,” He gripped her harder, “If you calm down and stop panicking I can tell you everything you want to know and we won’t have to put you back to sleep.”

So she let herself be pushed down, suddenly aware of pain shooting up all over her body. Unconsciously her hands shot to her where her right leg should be.

“It hurts, it really hurts,” she managed to gasp. But it hurt to breathe as well.

“That’s why I told you to calm down. We are increasing the dose of medication for you. Your right leg was amputated on the field, there was nothing to recover. You’re going to feel out of it a little out of it but it will hurt less.”

She couldn’t focus on what he was saying with the pain in the way.

The pain started to seep away, yet her focus wasn't getting sharper. In fact things were getting fuzzier.

“I’m going to let Eliza come in to see you while your still awake.”

Oh yay, she loved Eliza, Eliza was like her mom.

She tried to nod but he had already disappeared.

At least Eliza appeared in his place.

“Kara honey, how are you doing?” her voice was soft and comforting like it was back when she first landed.

The hand stroking her cheek also felt nice.

“mmmkay, I jus, I jus lost my leg.” She felt tears well up in her eyes.

Arms came around her, “Oh honey, I know I’m so sorry.”

She tried to put her arms around Eliza but she was sobbing and everything was starting to hurt again, and the pain was so bad and she was so tired and the beeping was all so loud.

“we’re.. increasing… 300mg”

“care…. don…. react…”

“Shhh honey go to sleep,” said the soft voice, so she did.

* * *

This time she woke to voices. Her eyes stayed closed, right she was in DEO med ward, her leg... She squeezed her eyes as though it will make everything disappear more so than having them shut. She heard Alex’s voice, and since it was coming from the right it must be her gripping her hand.

“We can make the prosthetic in alloy, partially with nanobots,” Lena’s voice came from the left.

So that was Lena not Eliza drawing patterns on her left hand. Only Lena had ever done that. But Lena was also upset with her and it was too much to hope.

Although that was her voice.

She must be here now.

“That sounds fine in theory but how do possibly suggest….”

Alex was replying but Kara tuned them out. There was just, just too much. Not now she needed a moment.

She wasn’t ready to talk about prosthetics.

She wasn’t ready to handle Lena’s cold anger.

She wasn’t ready to deal with Alex’s wrath over endangering herself.

She just wasn’t ready for this.

“Alex can you bring J’onn over, and Lena can you please be a dear and bring me some coffee. I just realized that if Kara wakes up J’onn should be here and should have the proper energy.”

It was Eliza that broke through Alex’s and Lena’s arguing.

For a moment Kara was convinced they would argue with her, but she heard a chair scraping followed by an, “of course,” from Lena then a second chair more aggressively pushed back and a, “fine,” from Alex.

After a few seconds she heard Eliza speak,

“I know you are awake Kara.”

So she opened her eyes and carefully pushed herself up. Her breathe caught when she saw the blanket fall through the empty space where her leg should be.

She took a few seconds to breathe. Her arms started to tremble from the exertion so she let herself fall back on her elbows and looked up.

Eliza sat on a chair in the corner with sadness in her gaze.

“Thank you, I just, do you mind if I’m alone for maybe ten minutes. I promise I’ll call you back if something happens. I just can’t be around… I just need a few minutes and then can you send the doctor in, by himself, I just want to speak and I can’t handle their anger right now and I want…”

Eliza stood up and hugged her.

“Of course, I understand.”

When she finally heard the door close, she let herself fall and a sob escaped her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Waking up from anesthesia is different then just waking up normally. I've been under for surgery three times and each time you just instantly wake up. One second everything is going black and it's the nicest feeling the next you are staring at the ceiling. One time I even started a sentence as I went under and finished as I woke up and it took me a minute to realize things are different. The line about confusion is actually something I said word for word once. Waking up from sleeping medication or normal sleep is you gradually gain awareness of the things around you, it's just different.
> 
> Next chapter will be back to Lena's perspective. Don't worry guys, Kara has pain meds to numb the pain (also not to cause anyone extra anxiety she will not get addicted to drugs don't worry).


	4. Small object large shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Lena and Alex were up to while Kara was asleep and under sunlamps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was travelling yesterday and couldn't write, sorry, I did make some editing of the last chapter though because I've been just writing these at night on sleeping pills and posting as is and was a little horrified at what happened in the last chapter. I didn't fix to much because what's done is done, but at least calm is not spelled come. 
> 
> Also this chapter got to a point, not to where it needed to be, but to some point.

For 5 more hours they had to wait. At least she wasn’t critical.

Yet Lena still felt better during those eight hours. At least then she was sitting in the DEO, making phone calls holding Alex.

Eliza forced her and Alex to go home, “Do you want Kara waking up to her favorite people looking and smelling like death warmed over? She doesn’t need anything else to worry about. Besides your no use to her here, shower, sleep, get some proper rest and don’t come back for five hours. J’onn will come wait with me.”

Of course Alex yelled, and she argued, especially since they can technically see her in four, but Eliza was an unstoppable force and the adrenaline had left their systems. With the promise of updates, and an immediate call if she wakes up they were kicked out.

15 minutes to get driven back to her apartment. 10 minutes to let the water mix with her tears in the shower. 14 minutes to cry herself to sleep wrapped up in her thousand thread count sheets. 1 hour nap of nothingness before her phone went off. Another shower this time for 20 minutes, at least she felt refreshed by the end of the two hours, and also had an idea.

Helplessness was not a term associated with the Luthors, and Lena was not going to start now. She needed to somehow aid Kara at the moment.

Kara was always there for her, and even in her angriest moments Lena was still cooperating with the DEO to be there for Supergirl if not for Kara Danvers.

While she couldn’t be there as a doctor, it was not her expertise, and at the moment with Kara unconscious she couldn’t be there as a friend, so she will be there as an engineer.

It was a thought she was avoiding but now since she felt as though she can do something Lena started to research prosthetics. Regardless of whether Kara continues to be Supergirl, an ordinary prosthetic wouldn’t do. She shouldn’t have to worry about controlling her strength to break a prosthetic on ordinary tasks, for superheroing it was a different story as well.

Also who know what kind of design Kara would want, or how she would prefer it to be built? The more options the better. In fact she better call Alex.

By the time Alex had arrived, she had already gained a sizable portfolio of the newest designs for prosthetics and had more coming from various doctors, companies, and researchers. The Luthor name still had pull.

Alex looked her up in down at the door with a lightly raise brow, but it wasn’t as if Alex had any room to judge. Lena may be wearing sweatpants and the t-shirt Kara left here to sleep in, but Alex was wearing Kara’s hoodie.

So she and Alex set to work creating scenarios and calculating force and anything the prosthetic might have to go through, separated both into day to day life categories and superheroing.

They had actually lost track of time. Supporting Kara in a way that was within their capabilities.

Also it kept them from worrying. Worry, as Lionel had once told her, gives a small thing a big shadow. It did them no good to sit around and panic.

Still when Eliza called to say Kara woke up it didn’t stop them from taking Alex’s Ducati and weaving through traffic at 100.

You can’t break the law when you are the law. Or at least Alex is.

Also this is exactly why Lena has Lawyers on retainer.

How can she possibly care when Kara woke up? Kara was ok and that’s all that matters.

Kara woke up.

She was ok.

Lena repeated the mantra as she ran down the halls of the DEO in her sneakers.

The two of them pushed through the door both trying to squeeze in at the same time, Alex fell through rushing to Kara’s side, but Lena, she was stuck.

The last time she had seen Kara look this helpless was when she was Supergirl and there was kryptonite dispersed in the air. She hadn’t realized how much worse it would seem seeing her lay there sickly and pale in a hospital gown.

But it was so much better than the image she had from the ambulance.

She took a shaky breathe and started walking towards Kara.

“What do you mean they put her back to sleep with meds?” growled Alex

Eliza sitting in the corner of the room patiently explained, “She had some panic when she woke up and realized her leg had been amputated. The doctor thought it might happen after waking due to the traumatic way it was removed, I had a light talk with her but she was the most coherent.”

There was only one chair left. Alex had plopped down on the chair to Kara’s left and Eliza chose the softer seat in the corner. There was a chair on Kara’s right, but suddenly sitting there seemed so daunting.

Hadn’t she been a terrible friend to Kara recently?

Now that she thinks about it there is a great possibility that Kara doesn’t actually want to see her right now.

Her eyes shot to Eliza. How could Eliza stand her at the moment, she and Alex weren’t on the best terms, and Alex was just leaning on her at the moment. Anyone really could’ve been in her place.

But Eliza, she must know how she had been ignoring Kara. How she could’ve done more to prevent this.

Lena wrapped her arms tightly around herself.

“Please Lena, sit down, so you guys have been working on prosthetics for Kara?” Eliza kindly asked.

Hesitantly she went towards the chair, trying to remember if she messaged Eliza about questions.

Eliza must have sensed her confusion because she explained, “It was the first thing Alex blurted upon entering the room. Are you ok?”

She gave Eliza a small smile and nodded looking at Kara, from here she can see the blanket fall through the area where her leg would normally rest.

Suddenly she felt as though she needed to be touching Kara, anything to make sure she’s real to make sure she’s ok.

Carefully she rested her hand over Kara’s and started making small soothing designs that she did whenever Kara seemed distraught or upset during conversations, and she felt better.

She felt more grounded.

Turning to Eliza she decided to resume speaking about prosthetics, “Yes, we have quite a few ideas. In the case where she wanted to possibly hide the prosthetic as Kara Danvers, we are thinking of employing the image inducer…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Initially I was going to continue this through the part where Kara kicks them out of the room. But honestly that's more Alex's nerves and she has a mini tantrum in fear of Kara not wanting to see her and Eliza bonds with them, but this stuff is getting to long. Next chapter Kara and Lena have a talk. There'll be resolution, because I'm not actually big on drama, I just like to cause pain instead, I'm not picky, physical or emotional, or both.
> 
> Also whenever I write this fic I get so much leg pain.
> 
> And are guys experiencing any humor, I can't tell, I've been trying to make this funny, I get the giggles as I write (especially the first chapter), but you guys mostly seem traumatized.


	5. It it just me or is the world spinning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Lena finally talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to go back and fix all the chapters, except the first because writing half asleep and not editing is not a good idea. But I really didn't want you guys thinking you were abandoned, so I decided to post this chapter, it's a bit short but Kara and Lena finally interact so yay.

Stronger together, it was what she was always taught. So why was she so scared to face her family.

There was a voice in the back of her mind. It’s been gradually getting louder and now that she was alone again it was all she heard.

Maybe because you’re in pieces, stronger together, but she couldn’t even hold herself together. Everything reflects on family. She’s in charge of this one and she’s in pieces, actual, literal, pieces.

What was even the protocol for that?

Should they retrieve what’s left of her leg from the wreckage and give it a funeral?

So lost in thought she didn’t hear the door open or the footsteps coming towards her.

“Kara?” asked a soft voice.

Startled she jerked up and saw Lena.

Lena, whose hand was hovering uncertainly and in the air between them and looks as unsure and afraid as Kara feels.

Who hasn’t spoken to her in weeks.

Ignored her texts and calls, but still helped her during missions at the DEO.

Lena who used to be her best friend, but was currently a passive aggressive colleague.

She missed Lena so much.

But she was so scared that Lena was still mad.

“Do you want me to get Alex or Eliza, their talking to doctor, if you want me to leave I can leave,” she stopped for a moment her eyes raking Kara’s form, “I just needed to see with my own eyes and we don’t want you to be alone for too long.”

Leave? Panic coursed through Kara.

No no no no no no

She grabbed Lena’s hand.

“Are you still mad at me?” came out in a small weak voice.

That wasn’t what she meant to say. Kara dropped her hand and made herself as small as she could.

Rao, she felt so weak and pathetic.

Why did she say that?

“Oh no, Darling no,” Lena slowly moved closer as if she was a small animal.

Maybe that’s all she was, tears were starting to build up in her eyes.

Lena cupped her face.

“Darling, please look at me,” she met Lena’s blue-green, “I’m not angry with you, I was for a little while, then for a little while longer it was me being petty, but I haven’t been angry at you for a while.”

Kara let out a breathe she hadn’t known she was holding and went to grab at Lena, she wasn’t sure if she was trying to pull her into the bed or give her a hug, just something to stabilize herself with.

Lena seemed to understand as she let herself fall into a hug on Kara.

“Shhhh, no matter what, no matter how angry I might get, I will _always_ be here for you. Do you understand?” Kara nodded because she knew that even at the angriest Lena still made updates to her suit to make sure she was safe.

She felt Lena’s eyelashes fluttering on her neck, and Lena was tracing calming patterns into her shoulder.

It helped. Lena’s weight and the patterns made her feel centered again. Also extremely embarrassed of her outburst and aware of the tears she had streaming down her face.

Rao she must seem like a mess.

Suddenly she felt Lena tighten her arms around her chest and sigh.

“I missed you so much. I missed listening to ramble about your day, all the cute pictures of animals you would text me. I missed getting lunch with you and you bringing me your lunch. I missed our movie nights and I especially missed you hugs and cuddles.” Lena murmured into Kara’s neck.

As Lena continued to burrow her head, Kara turned to face her with a smile.

“I missed you so much that,” she managed to get out but she had difficulty finding the words, she was just so tired she didn’t know how to explain to Lena that waking up thinking that she lost Lena was worse than waking up thinking she lost her leg.

That the only thing that softened the blow, which gave her hope, was that she knew Lena still cared when she got the designs for the new suit the day after their falling out.

It didn’t matter because Lena was smiling and seemed to understand that Kara was heartbroken without her. Lena pushed herself up off Kara and pulled the chair closer to the bed.

Lena’s hand traveled down from Kara’s shoulder to her palm to draw designs there instead.

“This doesn’t mean you’re off the hook though, we still need to have a talk,” she gently added.

But the thought no longer seemed daunting or scary, in fact she welcomed the conversation.

“Of course.”

Lena smiled brighter and leaned back in.

“But not now.”

“Are you guys done making up or making out, is it safe to come in because I need to check on my little sister,” yelled Alex from the outside the door.

“Yeah we’re fine, it’s safe.” Kara yelled back.

Thank Roa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost coming to a close, I figured I should as some fluff, this is a fluffy chapter because you guys deserve that much for sticking with me. We are approaching the end, this chapter was meant to include some of her and her family coming to terms with her loss but I need sleep so next chapter.


	6. Pretty ok

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sad ruminations of Kara about her situation and Lena's new clinginess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm alive and had not abandoned y'all.

Things were a solid ok. She was healing, mostly completely healed, they were actually happy to not try and kick start her powers at the moment.

Apparently healing the wrong way would make it harder or even impossible to fit a prosthetic.

Bodies don’t naturally fix themselves to fit prosthetics.

So she learned how to wrap the bandages around her… Alex or a nurse helped her usually. Both she and Eliza were still learning.

_And here I thought you were a doctor, Dr. Danvers._

_Not that sort of Doctor and you know it._

Alex checked in throughout the day, so did Eliza who stayed with her for most of the day except through her few hours of physical therapy and sometimes when Lena came.

Lena… Lena was all over her. Not that Kara was really complaining. Lena was only there during the evenings, she was in charge of two multibillion dollar corporations and Kara had assured her she was ok over a thousand times.

So Lena came only at nights, was planning to stay during the weekend, called three times a day, and texted her nonstop.

Whenever Lena was there she was constantly touching, holding, cuddling, there wasn’t a moment they weren’t connected in some form or another. Even if Kara had to go up for the bathroom, her hand would gently rest on her back until she made it to the toilet, and the moment she heard a flush she was back in to help Kara balance as she washed her hands.

And, alright, she admits it, the crutches are a bit of a struggle, she can’t wait till she can fly again, but she isn’t that bad.

Again though, Kara was most certainly not complaining when Lena scooched her over on the hospital bed to lay down with her to watch a movie, or explain specs on the new prosthetic, or just because Lena asked _Can’t I hold my best friend?_

As though she would ever say no, as though she would ever deprive Lena of Love and Affection and most definitely not a hug.

Kara would hold Lena all night if she asked. She was sure at this rate she would ask.

She wasn’t complaining. She was concerned.

While they were always, _affectionate_, with each other, usually Kara was the one to initiate it. Even when Lena did go for affection it was usually more reserved and when she was feeling hurt, sad, or scared.

Usually Lena took the first steps when she was broken and needed to be put back together again.

She also had light bruises underneath her eyes and has started moving as though someone a trapped weights across her body and she was trying to move as normally as she can with them but was obviously struggling.

Texts came in with funny images and new memes at 4 am, through out the day she would call to check, sounding out of breathe, always so relieved when Kara would answer. As though Kara wouldn't answer. As though Kara had ever not answered.

That’s why Kara was just a bit worried.

Especially since Lena always held her tighter came in closer, stayed longer if she was around for the changing of the bandages and saw her…

She once asked if she can help change the bandages.

Kara scrambled in her reply to explain she needed to learn how to do it herself and that she got it and didn’t want anymore people changing it for her.

During the movie they watched afterwards she was sure Lena didn’t actually see it with her head buried in Kara’s shoulders and her arms pressing them together as tightly as possible.

Instead she let Lena help them maneuver her and move her around every few hours, she just didn’t want her to see the…

They needed to talk, Kara knew, they needed to talk.

About the secrets Kara kept from her.

About Lena’s fears and feelings.

About Kara’s…

Her…

The stump.

The stump where her leg is supposed to be.

It wasn’t as if they hadn’t talked about it. They discussed her options as a group. Due to how quickly she is healing she can start practicing with a temporary prosthetic in a few days.

The prosthetic currently being designed by Lena, Alex, Brainy, and some DEO Doctor who specializes in this sort of thing.

The design is based on the idea that Kara Danvers will have a prosthetic, and when she feels up to it Supergirl will have both legs.

It will cement the differences between the identities. It was easier for Kara Danvers to be missing a leg than Supergirl.

Someone explained that prosthetics can get uncomfortable and most people choose to take them off at home. Delivery people, new friends, anyone who comes over for game night or just over in general would probably encounter her without a prosthetic so unless she was prepared to constantly be vigilant and prepared to be uncomfortable at home.

The new Supergirl suit has pants so people won’t really be able to tell anyway.

During solar flares Kara might have more difficulty getting around without the comfort of invulnerability and might need the accommodations such as seating and parking for a few days.

People shouldn’t know Supergirl has a weakness.

It wasn’t a weakness per se, in fact Alex and Lena had worded it, “there are advantages to people not knowing you have bionic leg that we can program to help you, for example the nanobots we are programming to transform into weapons.”

Kara understood that Supergirl had to be perfect.

What would people think, a Kryptonian without a leg?

That was unheard of, no such thing on Krypton and it shouldn’t be possible on Earth.

Jor-El would be disgusted.

El Mayerah, stronger together.

She can’t even keep herself together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would say sorry, but I don't like apologizing when I'm not really sorry. I did great updating earlier, then life had gotten to me and I'm just tired. But this fic is not abandoned. Although I'm sorry for how long it is, but that's on you guys, I was content to leave it as a one-shot and now we have whatever the hell this mess is.
> 
> Did you know they mold people's stumps to better fit prosthetics? That's actually what the bandages are for, they also may use special sleeves. Also if the body and the stump isn't moved around often enough after surgery it might get stuck in place forever and they can't fit a prosthetic. Some people start learning to use prosthetics just a week after surgery, and although Kara had worst case scenario surgery, she also has best case scenario healing.


	7. Communication is Key

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They had that talk they needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a long chapter. Also I just wanted to tell people, if you think I wrote something that's wrong, insulting, off, can be improved, grammatically funky, anything feel free to point it out to me. I know a lot of the chapters are riddled with errors, but I'm not going to catch all of them and sometimes even if I do I don't know how to fix them. Fanfiction writing for me is as much as a writing exercise to help improve my writing and expand my horizons as it is a way for me to explore the fandom, so please feel free to tell me anything. Even if you got something from my writing that you might think I don't like I want to hear it, I won't necessarily answer everything because I don't always know how but I do love hearing what people think and how I can improve.

There were many things Lena was worried about.

She worried about the profit margins on CatCo and L-Corp.

She worried about the hospital funds and care that she donated too.

She worried about the functionality of the prosthetic she and Alex had been making

She worried about how well Kara had been healing

She worried if Kara liked the prosthetic.

She worried about Kara’s health and sanity.

She was also worried that Kara no longer wanted to be her friend.

After she confronted Kara about being Supergirl, for several weeks there had been no contact between them. She had ignored Kara. Sure she still made sure Kara was safe during that time, and was pretty sure Alex updated her regarding Lena’s life. But Lena also said some pretty mean things before they parted ways.

Days ago when she had woken up from surgery, Kara looked so small and broken on the hospital bed, and she knew that a lot of it was the drugs talking, but what if it was just the drugs talking when she said that she wanted to still be friends.

What if Lena had destroyed their friendship?

_Like she destroyed everything else in her life, Lionel, Lex, Lillian, her Mother…_

Of course Eliza and Alex had encouraged her to go to work, but for the first time so had Kara. The woman who spend hours convincing her she worked way too much and come on, you need a vacation, stay here and play some games with me, please Lena, we’ll even go to that vegetarian place.

Now Kara was encouraged her to go to work, to check in with CatCo, to take calls from L-Corp if she needs to.

They still texted all day, but that was because Lena was checking with her instead of Kara checking in with Lena.

Lena glanced at her phone for the third time in ten minutes.

She was almost at the DEO, but still.

The car stopped in front of a mall, Lena thanked the man and headed through it to find the non-descript door near the bathrooms that said employees only, pushing through she nodded at the security guard and scanned her ID card to get on the elevator.

While on the elevator she looked through the prosthetic designs again. Although she and Alex had made a few designs for Kara too choose from and had shown and explained them all too Kara, Kara hadn’t had much of an opinion on them.

She would dutifully look through them and listen too explanations but never really gave any comments. It might be because she hadn’t had the chance to understand what she wanted since today was the first day she would use the temporary prosthetic.

It still annoyed Lena because Kara always had an opinion on her designs and it was the one thing that she really loved doing in L-Corp before everything else was forced on her.

Engineering was her passion and ranting about it to Kara was her favorite part of the day and for the first time she was building something for Kara and she got to talk to her about it.

Whatever, if push came to shove, Lena had no problem having all of them built so she can try them all. She had the money for it and it wouldn’t hurt to have data for any future prosthetics that needed to be built for Kara or any other alien.

The elevator came to step and she walked towards the room housing Kara temporarily, and she heard voices arguing on the inside, but as she came in they stopped,

“Lena! You’re early!” exclaimed Kara.

She seemed brighter and happy to see Lena which forced Lena to bite her bottom lip from smiling to hard.

“Of course, I missed you,” on Lena’s reply Kara only seemed to get brighter and she went to go sit by Kara, “I was also curious how you’re first day went.”

Kara’s smile dimmed to a forced grin.

“Oh yeah, Kara’s first day on her prosthetic, it went so well,” Alex piped up sarcastically drawing attention to herself, Lena turned her attention to her and Alex raised a brow, “Nice of you to notice someone other than Kara in the room.”

Rolling her eyes she returned her attention to Kara who was making herself smaller and looked as though she was attempting to hide beneath the sheets.

The situation was obviously fragile, but she needed to know what was going on if she was going to fix it. She gently put her hand around Kara’s chin and another on her shoulder and gently turned Kara to face her. Gently enough that Kara wouldn’t even need to try to stop her if she wanted to look away.

Once those blue eyes were looking at her, she gave a small smile and a light squeeze to show her gratitude.

“What’s going on?” Lena asked when she realized Kara wasn’t going to say anything, Kara seemed to be struggling so to help edge her forwarded she added, “If I’m going to fix the problem I need to know what it is.”

That was the wrong thing to say.

Kara jerked away.

“I don’t need to be fixed I’m not broken. Everyone needs to stop trying to fix things. I don’t need to be put back together, I’m fine,” she screamed looking away from both Lena and Alex.

Lena froze for a second, glanced at Alex, then pulled herself together.

“No one said you’re broken, we’re just trying to help,” she went to reach for Kara again, but Kara turned and brushed her hand off looking frantic.

“I don’t need your help, I..”

Her eyes were wide, her mouth hung open.

“That wasn’t what I meant,” came out far more softly.

Kara was hurt, she was obviously feeling hurt about something. This wasn’t about Lena, this wasn’t about her.

Tears were welling up in her and she realized she was finding it hard to breathe.

Kara didn’t want her help.

Kara didn’t need her help.

So why was she here?

“Lena?”

“I’m sorry,” she croaked, of course she must’ve been making the situation worse, Lena stood up and heard her chair fall but couldn’t summon the energy to pick it up, “I’ll just go then.”

Running out of the room she tripped through hallway and let slid down on a wall. She didn’t know where to go.

Pressing her hands against the tiles she let out a stuttering sob.

She screwed it up after all.

Kara didn’t want her after all.

“lena?”

The designs, she needs to forward the designs to Alex. Even Kara doesn’t want her help Alex still might need something to work with.

“Lena?”

Also she’ll forward all the doctors and info she can to Eliza, she needs them to have the same resources she has.

“Lena, please breathe with me,” she felt a hand rubbing her back, then Kara’s voice, “come on, one, two three,”

She pulled a breath in and leaned into Kara.

“four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.”

She started letting a breathe out

“one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,”

Kara pulled her into her arms and Lena rested her head on Kara’s cheek as she breathed.

“You’re doing so great, are you ok?” mumbled Kara against her hair.

“Mmhmm, a little dizzy,” Lena admitted.

“Yeah, you were breathing a little quick there,” Kara adjusted them so they were looking at each other, “We are going to have this conversation here, because well I’m most definitely capable of making it back on my own using the crutches, I’m not sure you should be standing.”

That caused Lena to smile a little, she was willing to bet her entire fortune that Alex had helped Kara make it over here before making herself sparse. Kara wasn’t the most talented on the crutches.

“Ok”

“I need you to know I need you,” Kara announced, tears started welling up in Lena’s eyes and Kara held her tighter.

“But you never let me help you change the bandages, and only just barely let me help you move around and you said…”

Kara cut her off.

“I need you here as my friend, I need you to show me you care, but I don’t need everyone doing everything for me. I don’t need you seeing the…”

Suddenly she realized that Kara has never spoken about her stump, or the prosthetic, or even about what happened. She always changed the subject.

“Kara are you ashamed of your stump?” she was incredulous.

“No, pshhhh, of course not, I just, I,” as Kara faltered for an answer Lena realized this might go further than bodily issues, “It’s just that it’s gross, and I don’t want you to see and I need to learn how to do it on my own and”

It was her turn to cut Kara off, she was panicking, they needed to switch gears.

“Kara I love you no matter what,” she started, it was probably better to go back to the root cause of their problems then work their way towards the current issues, “I was upset that you withheld your identity from me yes, maybe a little because you hid it from me, but that’s my problem not yours. I was upset with you for a long time because you manipulated the situation by misleading me into thinking that there was two separate people I was speaking to. I gave information to you as Kara that I didn’t want Supergirl to know, but you were Supergirl. Supergirl would say you sent her, but that’s because you were Supergirl. That was unfair and manipulative.”

She paused, searching Kara’s face, to make sure she they were on the same page before continuing. This was a different topic but it seemed to have stopped Kara’s panicking and so they will work their way back, “I said many things to you afterwards that I didn’t mean and I cut you off for far longer than you deserved. That was wrong and unfair of me. I’m sorry.”

It seemed to be helping Kara regain control over her thoughts as she was running her hand through Lena’s hair calmly now and started apologizing, “I’m sorry for making you feel manipulated, I will never do that again.”

“Now, in our lines of work you working with the government, me with two multibillion dollar companies, I know we will have secrets from each other, and there will also be things we cannot talk to each other about. But we also can’t continue making assumptions about each other, there are times where things are going to come up and intercept like what happened with Sam and Reign,” Kara’s hand paused in Lena’s hair waiting for her to continue, “So how about we promise we will always find a way to communicate with each other so as to always be on the same page.”

“ok,” Kara agreed. That was good.

“That means you need to help me understand what is happening here, and what went wrong today. I was scared that you no longer wanted and needed me, that’s not the case, but what is it? I don’t think it’s your self-body image.” she speculated but just in case she put her hand on Kara’s stump, “You’re still stunning, and none of us love you less.”

But Kara was looking away now.

“How can I be Supergirl without a leg?” she whispered. It was a hypothetical posed at the universe but Lena needed to answer it.

“Supergirl isn’t Supergirl because of her leg, Supergirl is Supergirl because of her kindness, her strength and the hope she brings to the world.”

Kara turned back to look at her and now she was the one crying.

“Don’t you know the ‘S’ isn’t an ‘S’, it’s ‘El Mayerah’, it means stronger together, it’s my family crest. There is no such thing as a disabled Kryptonian. How can I wear the family crest if I can’t even keep myself together?” she asked Lena but before Lena can stop her she threw her arms up and continued, “In fact I’ve been failing at that since I’ve got here. Clark, my blood family, the reason I was here didn’t want me, he didn’t leave me with his own family pawned me off to the Danvers. I tore the Danver’s apart as well. It was my fault Jeremiah got kidnapped, it’s my fault Eliza and Alex have a strained relationship.”

Her hands were in her hair she was looking down and she was breathing hard, she mumbled, “and now I don’t even know where my leg is.”

“We can find your leg,” Lena blurted out. It was the least important part, she needed to tell Kara how none of that was her fault, how Clark was just an asshole, but for some reason…

“Really!” the idea that they can probably recover her leg, or what’s left of it at least, excited Kara.

“Yeah, it’s still in the building, if we can get an approximate location of where you were we can send a few drones to go through the rubble,” Lena confirmed, “but what would we do once we find it?”

“We can give it a proper funeral?” it seemed as though Kara wasn’t sure either.

“Why not, I guess?” If it’ll make Kara feel better and help with her recovery then it was the least they can do.

Lena carefully stood up, brushing herself off and picked up the crutches. She then reached out her arms for Kara to grab.

Kara grabbed on to them, but mostly pushed herself up through her own strength before leaning on the wall and grabbing the crutches. Lena left her hand on Kara’s back as they started heading towards the room.

“We can do whatever you like, darling,” she stopped, “I just need you to know none of that was your fault, you haven’t failed your family, Jerimiah wasn’t your fault, Alex and Eliza weren’t your fault, and Clark is simply an asshole.”

“Kinda, I mean I know intellectually, but I can’t help but think what if,” she admitted.

Lena pursed her lips.

“Promise me you’ll talk to Alex about this?” She started to hold Kara a little more securely to keep her from stumbling and falling, Lena didn’t think she could handle if Kara broke a bone during a walk to the hospital room, “Also promise you’ll talk to me if something is happening with you, you don’t need to tell me what, but you need to communicate something is wrong and what you need.”

“I promise to talk to Alex and Eliza, also I promise to get better at communicating with you,” Kara assured her, “but you need to promise to communicate with me too. I’ve been worried about you all week.”

“Ok, so we’ll promise each other,” Lena ducked under Kara’s armpit as it seemed she wasn’t going to make it further without proper help, “Now we’ll give your leg a funeral, but afterwards when your ready would you take a look at the new prosthetic designs more seriously, I’m really excited about some changes I made.”

A guttural laugh came from Kara’s throat for the first time in weeks.

“Kara? Kara? What’s so funny Kara, dammit we just promised to communicate. KARA!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea that her leg needed a funeral actually came from a book I have about real stories from a crematorium, called "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" by Caitlyn Doughty. It's a hilarious book that has some interesting life stories and philosophical musings that she learned from working in the funeral industry. I highly recommend it's a quick and light read that's sure to put a smile on your face and change the way you think about death and funerals.


	8. Cremating a Piece of Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cremation of her leg

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have reached the end you guys, I hope you're happy (throws hands in air).

Burning the remains of a Kryptonian leg turned out to be somewhat of a logistical problem. There was an oddity created by biology putting it an in between state of invulnerable and human at the time of the removal due to the equivalent of alien adrenaline that wasn’t enough to kick start Kara’s powers but enough to keep her alive at the time.

It made burning the remains of the leg somewhat harder, although still possible.

Luckily Lena had an industrial furnace for extremely high temperatures normally reserved for nth metals but had been retrofitted for this special occasion.

Most likely even if Lena didn’t, no one had a doubt in their mind that she would how found one, or even built one, for the occasion anyway.

She stood there in an elegant black dress (Kara took a few seconds too appreciate, so sue her) holding Kara’s hand, pointendly looking above the wooden box they had left the remains in. 

While no one questioned how far she was willing to go, or what she was willing to do for Kara, the moment they had eyes of what was left of Kara’s leg she had to go busy herself with other preparations for the task.

Kara didn’t blame her, it was gruesome.

Eliza stood to the other side of her, helping her stand, rubbing her arms. Unlike Alex and Lena she wasn’t struggling to be more sad and serious to help Kara feel the moment and like J’onn was content to offer her support just by standing silently in the background.

“Would you like to say a few words Kara?” Alex was truly a trooper. She didn’t blink an eye when Lena told her they had to find Kara’s leg, or when she was instructing them on retrofitting the furnace for cremation purposes and now standing in all black waiting for her sister to give them direction.

Later, in a few months, maybe a few years she will tease the high hell out of Kara for this, but for now this is what Kara needed to begin healing so they will do it to the best of their abilities.

She stood guard on the left of the furnace while Agent Bernard who had removed Kara’s leg waited for instructions on the right. Both had decided to wear their black DEO uniforms but while Alex stood there looking solemn and serious, there was mirth in Agent Bernards eyes.

Kara had asked that he be the one to turn the furnace on when the time came. 

The most Lena could do now was hold Kara and let her go through the process. For now she just squeezed her hand.

“I never thought I would have to take my journey without you. Back on Krypton there was no such, and here on Earth and didn’t think there was a possibility. My family motto is means ‘stronger together’, by losing you I thought that I was letting things fall apart. I’ve since realized that what it really means is that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. You are a piece of me that’s kept me standing, and now I will need to learn to stand on something else,” she took a shuddering a breathe while Eliza rubbed her shoulder, “but since I’m standing with my family I know they will never let me fall. I will miss you on this journey to the future, but fear not I won’t be alone.”

Tears were streaming down Kara’s face but she looked at the agent holding the specially made lever for the furnace the Agent raised a finger up.

“You know, back in that warehouse,” he began, Lena stopped breathing for a second and Alex closed her eyes, “you told me you go where it goes. I’m really glad you weren’t as attached to it as you thought you were,” Kara let out a shuddering laugh and nodded at him. He pulled the lever and the box was engulfed in flames.

Kara leaned on further on Lena’s shoulder and Lena let her hand snake around her. Kara will be fine. Maybe not now, not in the next few weeks, or even months, but eventually she will be fine.

“You wanted to tell me about the specs of the leg you’ve been designing for me,” she murmured into Lena’s hair as they gently lowered her into the wheelchair.

She had insisted she stand for the cremation, but not even Kara bothered arguing she could get all the way through the L-Corp warehouse on crutches. She’ll get better with them, but not today.

Lena beamed, “Yes so we decided for the best shock resistance that we were going to use this technology called…”

Although Lena didn’t notice, Agent Bernard winked at Kara and Kara just gave him the brightest smile she could before turning her full attention back on Lena and nodding along with the explanation.

Alex caught his eye and she just looked at them before rolling her eyes and shaking her head, she mouthed ‘useless’ at him.

He looked back Lena who was bent over and smiling at Kara, struggling to explain something to her while Kara twisted back in her seat obviously purposefully being obtuse, convincing Lena otherwise while wearing a grin.

Lena playfully slapped her and Kara tried to duck away. 

Mouthing back to Alex ‘they’ll be fine’ he checked back in with the furnace.

With the way the two of them looked at each other, it was a wonder that Supergirl was ever worried about anything. He was glad the two of them made it over whatever speed bump they had hit.

Now if he could get himself invited to Supergirl’s wedding, his kids will definitely think he’s cool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was an odd fic to write, because on one hand I was happy to leave it at as a oneshot, on the other hand it was really easy to add subsequent chapters even if I wasn’t sure where I was going with them.  
Initially I wanted a scene with her at home in her apartment using her flight instead of crutches to get around telling Lena and Alex, who are in the next room, that she mastered the crutches. I don’t know why her struggling with crutches is hilarious to me, crutches are so easy to use, but I had a friend who for the life of him couldn’t use them and it came out here.
> 
> I also wanted that part of that ending to feature Lena feeling overprotective and retrofitting first Kara’s apartment to be more wheelchair friendly, then the building, then she just sort of moves in with Kara and Kara just sort of lets her realizing that it was Lena’s way of dealing with the reality that Kara was a superhero that wasn’t as invulnerable as she thought. Obviously it didn’t go this way partially because I thought that would take another few chapters, partially because I thought that was a bit too much and all I really kept thinking was Kara needs a chat with Agent Bernard.
> 
> So this wasn’t how I planned the end to go, but I’m really happy with it.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this fic, I want to give a special thanks to Mlod who commented on pretty much every chapter, your support is priceless and is what keeps us writers going.

**Author's Note:**

> Kara is not fine.
> 
> I'm thinking about writing a second chapter, but I'm not sure yet so this is marked completed for now.


End file.
